8.21.2008

oh, for goodness sakes'

Well, the first of what I'm sure will be many emails full of misinformation for this election season arrived from one of my relatives today. It was a forward of this little gem, which mistakenly says that Obama put money into the Kenyan elections, which ended in a nasty bout of violence, as well as perpetuating the myth that Obama is Muslim and out for jihad. Just because a message purports to be from a missionary doesn't mean it's factual, and this is a particularly egregious example of people whom I'm sure are well-intentioned passing along falsehoods because they think it came from someone trustworthy.

Sigh. There are clear differences between the candidates this year, and I think it's good to debate openly and honestly how they are different in character, on the issues, and in their general take on the way our politics should work. I don't have patience for anyone who attempts to divert our attention from what really matters, or for spreading incorrect information and lies that are designed to smear people's character. If you get an email of this nature about either candidate, I encourage you to look it up on Snopes, then hit "reply to all" and politely explain that you'd rather see debate on the facts and the issues that affect us all than have your inbox clogged with lies.

7 Comments:

i like to think that people that send and receive this crap are strong partisans who aren't going to change their vote either way. maybe i'm a bit hopeful that the margins never see this type of mess, but maybe i'm just being idealistic.

I am constantly reminding folks to check Snopes, even and especially if the email claims it has been checked with Snopes.The Lord knows there are enough true tales to tell about either of the men running no one should need to forward lies.Is it just me or do conservative Christians really fall for lies faster than liberals? Naw! Both are guilty.Tomorrow we will learn who Obama's handlers picked for his running mate. That will likely add fuel to the driving force behind the false emails. So get your spam blocker ready! grinCharlie Mac